News and Updates

April 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), called for a full repeal of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in response to Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s press conference where he offered to fix the law without providing specifics.

“This law is not about freedom, it purposely legislates discrimination and division. It is anti-American, anti-family, and anti-worker. It is a law that cruelly targets men and women, and their families, simply because of who they are. It is fundamentally wrong, it does not belong in Indiana or any state in America, and it must be repealed.

To be clear, as we decide where to take our future business—from annual conferences to the UFCW 2018 International Convention—we will not consider Indiana unless it fully repeals this discriminatory law. We urge every union, every American, and every business and employer, large and small, to join with the millions of Americans who have already spoken out against this needless and terrible law.

“As we have said from the very beginning, the NLRB’s modest rule to modernize and streamline union elections is a step in the right direction and should be implemented without delay. Make no mistake, those attempting to block this rule want to make it harder for workers to have a voice on the job. Shortening the period between the filing of a petition and the election means less time for anti-worker employers to intimidate, harass, and fire pro-union employees. This rule creates a fairer process and we look forward to seeing it in action. We commend President Obama for vetoing this ill-advised legislation.”

March 31, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), called for a full repeal of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in response to Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s press conference where he offered to fix the law without providing specifics.

“This law is not about freedom, it purposely legislates discrimination and division. It is anti-American, anti-family, and anti-worker. It is a law that cruelly targets men and women, and their families, simply because of who they are. It is fundamentally wrong, it does not belong in Indiana or any state in America, and it must be repealed.

To be clear, as we decide where to take our future business—from annual conferences to the UFCW 2018 International Convention—we will not consider Indiana unless it fully repeals this discriminatory law. We urge every union, every American, and every business and employer, large and small, to join with the millions of Americans who have already spoken out against this needless and terrible law.

“Budgets are more than just numbers; they are a statement of values. House Republicans talk a lot about family values, but this budget cruelly and needlessly hurts families and children. It will make life harder for tens of millions of hard-working American families all to serve an ideological agenda. At a time of stagnant wages and rising income inequality, the House Republican budget is more of the same—cutting nutrition assistance, health care, job training, and college aid—all while giving another tax break to the wealthiest few. Instead of further dividing this country, Republican leaders and Congress must go back to the drawing board and pass a budget that invests in the future of working and middle class families. Make no mistake, we strongly oppose this proposal and urge the President to make clear he will veto it and any other extreme budget that hurts America’s families.”

“We have a profound responsibility to provide our hard-working families the opportunity for a better life. It is why we have a proud history of negotiating union contracts, with both Heinz and Kraft, that provides these incredible men and women better pay, benefits and job security. By working together we have not only met our responsibility to our people, but have proved that companies that choose to be responsible can be profitable and successful. We will continue to work with Heinz and Kraft to ensure they do what is right and responsible and that ‘streamlining’ and ‘cost-cutting’ measures don’t hurt the workers, their families, who have helped make these companies a success.”

March 24, 2015

Charlemont, Mass. – Dozens of co-op workers from three states and representing six both worker- and member-owned co-ops met Saturday at the first-ever regional co-op workers summit. The event, hosted by United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1459, was the first of its kind.

“Co-ops have a unique place in our economy,” said Dan Clifford, President of Local 1459. “They are businesses that have the higher purpose of serving the communities in which they operate. As the co-op movement grows, sometimes the voice of co-op workers get lost. This summit was an important step to ensure those voices are heard and that co-ops live up to their highest aspirations.”

Workers from co-ops in Western Massachusetts, New York and Vermont gathered for panels on the future of the co-op movement and their role in improving their workplaces, their communities and the food we all eat. They also heard from Frances Moore Lappé, best-selling author of Diet for a Small Planet, who spoke about the important role that co-ops and co-op workers can have in building a more sustainable global economy.

“It’s critically important that the co-op movement doesn’t leave the workers’ voice behind,” said John Cevasco, a grocery worker from Greenfield’s Market in Greenfield, Mass. and a UFCW Local 1459 member. “We found our voice at Greenfield’s by forming a union, and I know our co-op is stronger because of it.”

“Our communities need high quality, local food and good family-supporting jobs,” said Russell Ziemba, a worker from the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, N.Y. “Co-ops can play a critical role in meeting those needs if they listen to the voice of their workers. That’s why I’m glad I had the opportunity to be here and learn from other co-op workers in my region.”

The co-op workers also issued a series of collective recommendations to the regional and state food system plans, re-envisioning how the food system could serve the needs of citizens even better. They hope by injecting the voice of ground level workers and co-ops into the plan that they can make the plans both more ecologically and economically more sustainable.

“A higher hourly wage for the hard-working men and women in retail is a first step in the right direction. For far too long, our UFCW family and those outside our family who deserve a better life have been fighting for more than just higher wages. We are fighting for good benefits, a safe and just workplace, and fair scheduling that allows all workers the hard-earned right to support themselves and their family.

“While the struggle against irresponsible companies continues, I believe the momentum is growing. Bad employers who put their bottom line before the people who work to make these companies succeed must change. These families deserve better. While steps forward are positive, we will not stop our fight to raise standards, provide more hours, stable scheduling, and good jobs for all of our family.”

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.

“Every elected leader has a sacred responsibility to stand up for America’s hard-working families and to help them achieve a better life. Higher wages, better benefits, equal pay for equal work, protection from discrimination and exploitation; those are the rights that unions offer and which we fight for every single day. These are the true rights that Governor Scott Walker wants to take away from the union men and women who work hard, sacrifice, and help make Wisconsin and America a better place.

The truth is by standing against hard-working families, Governor Scott Walker should be ashamed, but we know he is not. He has chosen to pursue a radical agenda that willingly ignores that this law will devastate countless workers and their families. Make no mistake, this law gives irresponsible corporations, let alone politicians, the right to exploit and mistreat countless men and women all across Wisconsin.

Let me be clear, this fight is not over. We will stand up and fight for the right to protect our hard-working union family and the rights of countless families in Wisconsin and all across America who earn and deserve a better life.”

LGBT workers are less likely to be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity as a union member. Source: Frank, Miriam. “Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America”, Temple University Press, 2014.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.

UFCW International President Marc Perrone being arrested at the demonstration

The action was led by striking immigrant workers at Vegas Auto Spa in Brooklyn and car wash workers from across New York City. Elected officials and faith leaders also joined in support. Demonstrators undertook a 10-block march through the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and blocked the streets outside Vegas Auto Spa.

“These workers are not just hardworking men and women, they are part of our family. And, like every family, we will stand and fight for them. They’ve earned the right to be treated better and fairly. We stand together to demand not only the better wages they are owed, but the right that every worker has to be treated with dignity and respect on the job” Perrone said. “This is about the right of low-wage and immigrant workers across America to have their voices heard.”

Workers at Vegas Auto Spa have been on strike since November shortly after they sued the car wash owner for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid wages and damages. The workers voted unanimously to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), an affiliate of the UFCW, in January. The owner has repeatedly refused to settle the dispute with workers and engaged in threats and retaliation.

Some workers report being paid less than the minimum wage and not receiving time and a half for overtime. Others report working 70 to 90 hours a week. The workers have gone to court, alleging they are owed back wages and damages. They have also filed complaints with Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) about unsafe working conditions and not receiving the proper safety equipment to deal with the toxic chemicals used to clean cars.

Vegas Auto Spa was the tenth New York City carwash where workers voted to join the RWDSU/UFCW as part of the WASH New York campaign. Demonstrators urged the New York City Council to pass the Car Wash Accountability Act, legislation that would crack down on unlawful employers and bring transparency and accountability to an industry that has a history of mistreating its workers.

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.

I am honored and humbled to represent the 1.3 million members of the UFCW on the Executive Council and Executive Committee of the AFL-CIO. As a labor movement, we have enormous challenges ahead of us. Workers are counting on us to organize more members, bargain good contracts, and defeat the corporations and politicians who are trying to silence their voice. I intend to play an active role in putting our movement in the best position to meet the needs of working families. We have to be more strategic. We have to communicate with our own members and non-union workers better. We have to become more diverse and immerse ourselves in the communities where our members live and work. Working with President Trumka and my colleagues from all of the AFL-CIO affiliates, I believe we can build a labor movement that is bigger, stronger, and more ready than ever to truly serve working men and women.